*** Copyright 1994-1996 by George Robbins - see detailed note at end ***
This document is posted periodically to the rec.sport.skating.roller
usenet newsgroup, and can also be accessed via the world wide web (www)
using the following URL:
http://www.netaxs.com/people/grr/Roller
This is the skating book FAQ - it is intended as a resource for
individuals wishing to find books about different forms of skating
and related arts. The general format is that of "mini-reviews"
giving the title/author, publisher/order/ISBN information and a
brief commentary on the book itself.
If you're wondering about videos and magazines, I don't deal in these,
but for the ice skating folks, the Skaters Edge Sourcebook by Alice
Berman, reviewed below, has an extensive listing of book, videos and
magazines. There are also a couple of good web sites:
Magazines:
http://www.nettally.com/jbmittan/pubs.htm
Videos:
http://haskell.cs.yale.edu/sjl/skate-images/kevin/videos.html
The Rainbo Sport Shop Catalog (773-275-5500) is probably the best single
source for ice related books and videos, their catalog has a two page
spread for each, including cover pictures and brief descriptions.
There are two fundamental problems with books on skating - first,
skating is best learned by skating under the supervision of an
instructor, not by reading about it - second, there are only a few
skate books "in print" or to be found at your local bookstore.
The first of these problems is essentially intractable - the best
writer can only convey a crude sketch of the dynamic motions of
skating and is trapped between a simple explanation to convey the
"spirit" of a move and a lot of technical verbiage to attempt to
describe the correct execution. This is really an area where videos
could be most effective - some do exist - but not neccessarily
formatted as replacements for or adjuncts to books.
The second problem is one that may require more effort on the
readers part. Typically bookstores will only have one or two of
the in-line skating books and maybe an ice skating book for sale
- if that! The first line of attack is to visit the public/university
libraries in your area and see what is available. Small town/county
libraries usually have a few random selections from the older books,
while a city or university library may have a broader selection.
Some of the new book super-strores, such as Borders now carry a pretty
extensive line of the in-line books and several of the more popular
ice-skating books. Rainbo Sports (312-275-5500) has a fairly extensive
selection of ice skating books, including some that don't seem to be in
general print and some of the Platoro press books. You may also want to
keep an eye on used book or book remainder stores in your area - while
skating books aren't common compared to golf or running, you'll find
them from time to time.
This particular list focuses mainly on "how to skate" books and some
"about skating" books. I've intentionally omitted a few such books
where they are clearly inferior to the ones listed or just too dated
to be of practical use, and not old enough to be historical curiosities.
I've omitted many of the coffee table picture books - while some are
actually quite interesting to page through, they really don't have all
that much to offer the skater. I've also omitted Juvenile books -
there are quite a few of both the how-to and biographies, but they're
largly interchangable.
I've recently broken down and added a section of "adult" skating
biographical books. It's not really clear that there are really
that many books in this category, and I refuse to add the half-dozen
Tonya & Nancy instant publishing books!
Finally, items truly specific to a specific type of skating - rule
books, magazines, pamphlets and videos are found in the various
FAQ's.
I'm open to adding additional entries to this list, *if* you can
provide the same kind of information in the entries below. I'm
also willing to correct or improve the mini-reviews, though they
are, at best, no more than informal impressions. I'd also consider
adding additional sections or related subject if they are relevant
to skating. Specifically, I would like to extend the listings with
some books on physical conditioning/training useful to skaters and
books on dance (technique or as a mode of expression - not dance
as an fine ART).
Note for bibliophobes - "Trade Paperback" simply means a book bound
with a soft cover sold to the retail trade vs. primarily to libraries.
Many of the books are/were also available in hardcover library
editions, a few also were also published in standard small-format
paperback editions.
I don't claim to be authoritative on any branch of skating, since
I've only skated seriously for a few years now, so suggestions for
improvement of this list are always welcome.
Send e-mail to grr@tharsis.com
The books are listed by category and copyright date - I used to
try to list them in good-ok-bad order, but aside from being only
a personal opinion, this got painful as more books were added and
I included some entries for books that I'd never seen.
The rating system is pretty obvious - 3 plusses means it's a book
you should seek out, 2 means it's useful, 1 means it's not useless.
a minus means it's not particularly useful, although it may still
have historic or entertainment value. A qustion mark indicates a
book that should be good, but I haven't personally read it or gotten
a solid recommendation.
Contents:
Introduction (above)
In-Line Skating Books:
+++ In-line Skating: the Ultimate How-to Guide; Albert Fried-Cassorla; 1995
+ The Complete Guide and Resource to In-line Skating; Stephen C. Joyner; 1993
+++ Inline Skating; Mark Powell & John Svenson; 1993
++ Get Rolling: The Beginner's Guide to Inline Skating; Liz Miller; 1992
++ The Complete Blader; Joel Rappelfeld; 1992
Blazing Bladers; Bill Gutman; 1992
Wheel Excitement; Neil Feineman with Team RollerBlade(R); 1991
+++ The Complete Handbook of Speed Skating; Dianne Holum; 1984
In-Line Skating Area Guides:
The Ultimate Skating Guide to the SF Bay Area; Tod Ray; 1995
Skating unrinked: ...San Francisco Bay area; Richard Katz; 1994
Let's skate Minnesota: where to roll indoors and outdoors; B Shotwell; 1992
Roller Hockey:
+++ In-line Roller Hockey: the Official Guide and Playbook; Steve Joyner; 1995
Official Rules of In-line Hockey; NIHA; 1995
- Roller Hockey - Of Sticks and Skates...; Hollander and Clark; 1975
Conventional Roller Skating Books
+ Dancing on Skates; Richard Arnold; 1985
+++ Competitive Figure Skating - A Parents Guide; Robert Ogilvie; 1985
Roller Skating - Fundamentals and Techniques; Sharon Kay Stoll, PhD; 1983
+ Outdoor Skating; Frank Simcoe; 1980
Anybody's Rollerskating Book; Tom Cuthbertson; 1980
Roller-Skating from Start to Finish; Jack Trap; 1980
Jammin' - Bill Butler's Guide to Roller Disco; Butler and Schoen; 1979
- Roller Disco Dancing; Kelley Kollmar & Melody Mason; 1979
++ The Complete Book of Roller Skating; Ann-Victoria Phillips; 1979
The Complete Book of Roller Skating; Editors of Consumer Guide; 1979
+++ Roller Skating Guide; Hal Straus & Marilou Sturges; 1979
Roller skating: the Sport of a Lifetime; CA Waugh and JLB Larsen; 1979
Roller Fever; Linda Konner; 1979
Keep on rollin': Complete Guide to...; Sharon Boorstin; 1978
++ Winning Roller Skating; Randy Dayney with Joel Cohen; 1976
++ Better Roller Skating; Richard Arnold; 1976
History of Roller Skating; James Turner; 1975
Roller skating: Elementary Techniques for...; Edward R. O'Neill; 1960
Roller Skating Through the Years: the Story of...; Morris Traub, ed; 1944
The Art of Plain Skating; Perry S. Rawson; ca 1941
The Art of Skate Dancing; Perry S. Rawson; ca 1942
Skate Dance Diagrams; Perry S. Rawson; ca 1943
Skate Dance Shortcuts; Perry S. Rawson; ca 1946
Roller Derby:
Five Strides on the Banked Track...Roller Derby; Frank Deford; 1971
Ice Skating Books:
? Yes! You Can Do the Triple Jumps; Billy Ng; 1996
++ Ice Skating - Steps to Success; K. Kuenzle-Watson & Dr S. DeArmond; 1995
+++ Skaters Edge Sourcebook; Alice Berman; 1995
+++ Figure Skating: Sharpen your Skills; Patricia Hagen [ed]; 1994
The 1994 Official USFSA Rulebook; USFSA; 1993
Figure Skating: A Celebration; Beverley Smith; 1994
Ice Time: A Portrait of Figure Skating; Debbi Wilkes w/Greg Cable; 1994
Figure Skating Performance: A Psychological Study; Peter P. Moormann; 1994
+ Figure Skating History: The Evolution of Dance on Ice; Copley-Graves; 1992
+ The Complete Manual of Ice Dance patterns; Jeff Lerner; 1992
Choreography & Style for Ice Skaters; Ricky Harris; 1991
++ Laura Stamm's Power Skating; Laura Stamm; 1989
+++ Figure Skating - Championship Techniques; John Misha Petkevich; 1988
+++ Competitive Figure Skating - A Parents Guide; Robert Ogilvie; 1985
The Complete Handbook of Speed Skating; Dianne Holum; 1984
? The Skaters Handbook; John Misha Petkevich; 1984
How to Succeed at Skating; Monika Maier; 1982
+++ Figure Skating; Carlo Fassi with Greg Smith; 1980
+++ Ice Dancing Illustrated; Lorna Dyer w/Harry Brandt; 1980
Creative Ice Skating; Frances Dorsey and Wendy Williams; 1980
Skating: Elegance on Ice; Howard Bass; 1980
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ice Skating; Mark Heller; 1979
Figure Skating; Dianne Deleeuw with Steve Lehrman; 1978
- Enjoying skating; the Diagram Group; 1978
? Singles Figure Skating (for Beginners and Champions); Dr. Josef Dedic; 1974
+++ Basic Ice Skating Skills; Robert Ogilvie; 1968
- Instant Skating; Dick Button; 1964
- The Fun of Figure Skating; Meribel Vinson Owen; 1960
- Skating For Beginners; Barbara Ann Scott and Michael Kirby; 1953
- Skate with Me; Barbara Ann Scott; 1950
- Advanced Figure Skating; Maribel Y. Vinson; 1940
- Primer of Figure Skating; Meribel Y. Vinson; 1938
- The Art of Skating; Irving Brokaw; 1910, 1928
Skateology; Sidney Broadbent; ?
Platoro Press Books:
Figure Skating History: The Evolution of Dance on Ice; Lynn C. Graves
Ice Skating Fundamentals; Marilyn Grace House
Get the Edge: Sport Psychology for Figure Skaters
How Sport Psychology Can Make You a Champion
Symphony on Ice: The Protopopovs; A. Shelukhin
Key to Rythmic Ice Dancing; Muriel Kay
Origins of Ice Dance Music; Muriel Kay
Complete Manual of Ice Dance Patterns; Jeff Lerner
Secrets of Soviet Skaters: Off-Ice Training Methods; T Moskvina (upcoming)
Figure Skating: The Pages of History; R. Chubrik (upcoming)
Patterns of Russian Ice Dance; Y. Tchaikovskaya (upcoming)
Biographical Works of Interest:
Full Circle: an autobiography; Dan Jansen w/Jack McCallum; 1994
Torvill and Dean: Fire on Ice; J Torvill & C Dean w/Neil Wilson; 1994
Kurt: Forcing the Edge; Kurt Browning w/Neil Stevens; 1991
Thumbs Up! The Elizabeth Manley Story; E. Manley w/Elva Oglanby; 1990
Orser: A Skaters Life; Brian Orser w/Steve Milton; 1988
Queen of Ice, Queen of Shadows...Sonja Henie; Raymond Strait; 1985
Scott Hamilton: A behind the scenes...; Michael Steere; 1985
Skating for Gold: Intimate Story of Scott Hamilton; Michael Steere; 1984
Torville and Dean; Jayne Torvill w/John Hennessy; 1983
+ John Curry; Keith Money; 1978
Natalie Dunn: World Roller Skating Champion; Gloria D. Miklowitz; 1979
On Thin Ice; Henry Jelinek Jr. and Ann Pinchot; 1965
Dick Button on Skates; Dick Button; 1955
Skate with Me; Barbara Ann Scott; 1950
Wings on My Feet; Sonja Henie; 1940
Related Subject Areas:
++ How to play the piano, despite years of lessons...; Cannel & Marx; 1976
+++ How To Dance Forever - Surviving Against the Odds; Daniel Nagrin; 1988
The Magic of Dance; Margot Fonteyn; 1979
Dance With the Music; Elizabeth Sawyer; 1985
The Pointe Book - Success through Technique; Janice Barringer; 1990
The Dancers Body Book; Allegra Kent with J & C Cammer; 1984
The Complete Guide to Disco Dancing; Karen Lustgarten; 1978
The Official Guide to Disco Steps; Jack Villari and Kathleen Villari; 1978
Night Dancin'; Vita Miezitis and Bill Bernstein; 1980
A Social History of the Bicycle; Robert A. Smith; 1972
+ Mental Toughness Training For Sports: Achieving...; James E. Loehr; 1986
Inline Books:
In-line Skating: the Ultimate How-to Guide
Albert Fried-Cassorla
Prima Publishers; Rocklin CA - 1995
Trade Paperback, 225 pages, $16.95
ISBN 1-55958-648-6
[ also available direct from Prima Publishing - 916-632-440 ]
1. An Introduction to In)line Skating
2. A History of Skating
3. Getting Started: How to Choose your Equipment
4. Skating Safer
5. Maintenance
6. First Moves
7. Advanced Moves
8. Join or Start a Skating Club
9. Fitness, Health and Cross Training
10. In-line Hockey
11. Speed Skating and Racing
12. Skating Dancing and Figure Skating
13. Ramps and Ramp Plans
14. Skateflections
A. Natational Associations and Organizations
B. In-line Media
C. Manufacturers and Vendors
D. Annual Events
This is another comprehensive and well balanced book on in-line
skating, maybe not the best yet, but well up there. Topics
not covered in other general coverage books include hockey,
street tricks and ramp plans. The illustrations are current,
taken mostly from the Philly and NYC outdoor scenes and some
from last year's Taco Bell competition.
The downsides are minor - the section on dance/figure skating
reflects a narrow definition - artistic dance on in-lines - that
ignores the visible and popular Philly and NYC Central Park
disco/aerobics style of dance, there's no mention of the indoor
in-line scene and despite otherwise profuse illustration, black
skaters seem to rate only one token photograph.
The Complete Guide and Resource to In-line Skating
Stephen Christopher Joyner
Betterway Books, Cincinnati OH - 1993
Trade Paperback, 176 pages, $12.95
ISBN 1-55870-289-X
1. The Origins of In-line Skating
2. Benefits of In-Line Skating
3. General Health
4. Fitness
5. Equipment
6. Strength and Flexibility
7. Safety
8. In-Line Skating Techniques
9. Injuries and Discomfort
10. Types of In-Line Skating
11. The Future
12. Appendixes: Glossary, Resoures and Bibliography
As a resource guide, this is a useful book, the appendices list
Magazines, Manufacturers, Retailers, Organizations, Roller Hockey
Leagues, IISA certified instructors and also a rather eclectic
bibliography. The rest of the text is OK and has a few interesting
features, but several of the other in-line books would actually be
more useful, especially for the beginning skater.
Some Specific irritations are only the briefest mention of roller
hockey where I would expect at least an informal presentation of
rules, equipment and game play, and a strong anti-quad bias, for
example: a history of skating which leaps from Plimpton's error
(a steerable truck quad skate) to Scott Olson's Rollerblade as if
no-one enjoyed skating in the interim.
Inline Skating
Mark Powell & John Svenson
Human Kinetics Publishing, 1993
Trade Paperback, 134 PP, $12.95
ISBN 0-87322-399-3
1. Introduction to In-line Skating
2. Skating Equipment
3. Before You Start
4. Posture
5. Stroke, Glide...Stroke, Glide
6. Stopping
7. Turns
8. Putting it all Together
9. In-line Racing
10. Tricks and Dance
11. Roller Hockey
Of the recent rash of in-line skating "how to" books, this is
probably best and most balanced one. It has good coverage of
equipment and basic skating skills, mention of dance and fun
skating, and doesn't suffer from any fitness obsession.
Blazing Bladers
Bill Gutman
A Tom Doherty Associates Book - 1992
Trade Paperback, 100 pages, $6.99
ISBN 0-812-51939-6
1. A Brief History of In-line Skating
2. The Lure of In-line Skating
3. Getting Ready to Skate
4. The Basics of In-line Skating
5. Advanced Skating
6. Racing
7. Roller Hockey
One of the two easier to find books, this provides a reasonable
overview of the sport, but suffers somewhat from "generic how-to"
sports publishing. The author tends to recite what "experts" have
told him without much conviction and some of the photographs don't
fit well with the text. Still has a good section on "street tricks".
The Complete Blader
Joel Rappelfeld
St. Martin's Press, NY NY - 1992
Trade Paperback, $8.95
ISBN 0-312-06936-7
1. Equipment
2. Skate Check and Maintenance
3. Body Positions
4. Warm-up Stretches
5. Get Rolling
6. Advnaces Stopping and Slowdowns
7. Advanced Striding
8. Turning and Rolling Backwards
9. Freestyle
10. Street Awareness
11. Hazards and Hills
12. Strengthening and Cross Training
13. Race Training
14. Strains and Pains
15. Fun, Games, and a Cute Story
This book is nearly as good as Powell & Svenson, but is more
oriented towards fitness/health aspects. There seems to be as
much space allocated to stretching and conditioning as skating.
One useful section describes construction and use of a slide-board
for off season training.
Get Rolling: The Beginner's Guide to Inline Skating
Liz Miller
Pix & Points Publishers, Union City CA - 1992
Trade Paperback, 128 pages, $10.00
ISBN 0-9632196-2-6
[ see below for availability ]
Introduction; About the author
1. Is In-Line Skating for You
Who skates?; Why do they skate?; What are the physical
requirements?; How long does it take to get good?
2. Where to Skate
3. Safety First
The mental side of safety; The physical side of safety;
The skater's safety rules; Know your equipment
4. Getting Equipped
Research; Skates; Protective gear; The fashion element
5. How to Be a Good Beginner
Practical concerns; In-line skating body position;
How to reach Nirvana on wheels; How to use this book
6. Lesson One
Find Your Ready Position; The Forward Fall;
The Still Position; Forward Glide; Basic Turning;
Hourglass; Marching; Emergency Stops; Practice Laps
7. Lesson Two
Linked Turn; One-Footed Glides; Forward Crossover Turns;
Heel Brake Stops; Figure Eights; The Tuck; Pickup
8. Lesson Three
The Swerve; Circle Stops; Skating Backward; Backward Turns
Backward-to-Forward Turns; Backward Laps; Twirling Laps
Circle Spread; Straight Spread (Advanced)
9. Lesson Four
A Cheap Trick: the Kneel; Jump-Overs; Backward Marching;
The Minuet; Mixed Tricks; Marching in Place; Jump Turns
10. Lesson Five
Forward-to-Reverse Turns; Backward Crossovers;
Turn on a Line; T-Stop
11. Lesson Six
Ski-Skating Body Position; Four Linked Turns and a Stop;
Dip and Rise; Pointing; Wind Ski-Skating
12. Lesson Seven
Twister; Short Radius Turns; The Power Slide (Advanced);
Driving Obstacle Course; Mobility Course;
Skating With Ski Poles; Slalom Course
13. Getting Fit On In-Line Skates
Benefits; Warm up; The Stroke; Checking Your Heartrate;
Mother Nature's Influence; After your workout
14. Skate Maintenance
Preventive maintenance; Periodic maintenance; Rotate the Wheels;
Replace the Wheels; Replace/Remove the Brake; Rocker the Wheels;
Lengthen the Wheelbase; Clean the Bearings
15. Resources
Organizations; Books; Mail Order; Videos; Skate Manufacturers;
Magazines; Products; Your local Yellow Pages;
Get Rolling Order Form
This book concentrates on in-line skating for beginners - getting the
skater from looking at in-lines in the local shop to basic stroking
and moves. The author makes an earnest attempt to speak as a
beginner - to beginners, there are few assumptions about what the
prospective skater may already know, and adequate prepartory and
background material is included to address the typical beginners
questions and insecurities.
The core of the book is organized as sequence of progressive
lessons, seven groups, each consisting of a number of individual
excercises. The reader gets the sense that if they attempt and
practice each step, they will learn to skate with a minimum of
pain and confusion. This is not to say that there a lot of fooling
around - Lesson 1 gets very quickly to learning to stroke via push
and glide. Line drawing illustrate key points and sometimes add a
dash of humor.
Orginally, this book was hard to find, but it finally seems to have
reached general distribution. You can also order it mail-order from
Upper Access Books (800-356-9315) or directly from the publisher -
Pix & Points Publishing; 32108 Alvarado Blvd. Suite 189; Union City,
CA 94587. Upper Access takes credit cards. The publisher requires
a check or money order for $10+CA sales Tax+$2 Shipping & Handling.
You may also want to check out the new "Get Rolling" Web page:
http://www.zoom.com/personal/getroll/grhome.html - for ordering
information or news about the author's newsletter and about skating.
Wheel Excitement
Neil Feineman with Team RollerBlade(R)
Hearst Books, NY NY - 1991
Trade Paperback, $9.00
ISBN 0-688-10814-8
1. In-line, In-life
2. Gearing Up
3. Getting Started
4. Getting Physical
5. Cross Training
6. Racing
7. Extreme and Artistic Skating
8. Roller Hockey
9. The Best Trails
At one point, this was the only book on in-line skating and it
still serves as a decent introduction to and overview of the sport.
Lots of pictures of California kids having a good time. The actual
text is a little thin and the Powell and Svenson or Rappefeld books
have more information about skating, while the Miller book provides
a better "learn to skate" vehicle.
The Complete Handbook of Speed Skating
Dianne Holum
Enslow Publishers; Hillside NJ - 1984
Trade Paperback?, 256 Pages, ~$30.00
ISBN 0-89490-051-X
[ may be available from mail-order in-line shops ]
See Ice Skating section for details...
Roller Hockey:
In-line Roller Hockey: the Official Guide and Playbook
Steve Joyner
Contemprary Books; Chicago - 1995
Trade Paperback
ISBN 0-8092-3440-8
1. Introduction
2. Equipment
3. Rules
4. Foot Care and First Aid
5. Fitness
6. Skills and Drills
7. The NIHA
Glossary
A. In-Line Roller Hockey Leages
B. Organizations and Associations
C. Manufacturers
D. For More Information
E. Bibliography
When Joyner wrote his "complete" in-line skating resource guide,
I noted that it was a bit weak on roller hockey content, and it
looks like he's redressed that fault in some detail here.
I've only had a chance to page though this book briefly at the
local bookstore, but its seems quite complete and detailed, in
both the equipment, skating and game play areas.
Official Rules of In-line Hockey (2-nd Edition)
NIHA
Triumph Books; Chicago - 1995
Paperback; 177 pages; $8.95
ISBN 1-57243-061-1
[ Also available direct from Triumph - 312-939-3330 ]
Section One - Rules and Regulations of In-line Hockey
1. The Rink
2. Equipment
3. The Game
4. The Team
5. Penalties
A. Age Guidelines
B. Rink Diagrams
C. Referee Signals
Section Two - Guide to In-line Hockey
1. Equipment Guide
2. Skills and Drills
3. Glossary
This book contains two sections - the first is the official
NIHA rules for in-line hockey, the second is a guide to play.
Roller Hockey - Of Sticks and Skates and City Streets
Zander Hollander and Steve Clark
Hawthorn Books - NY, 1975
Hardcover, 156 pages; $6.95
ISBN 0-8015-6440-9 (Hardcover)
0-8015-6441-7 (Paperback)
[ out of print ]
1. The Game
2. History
3. Equipment
4. Skating
5. Shooting
6. Passing and Stickhandling
7. Playing Goalie
8. Playing Forward
9. Playing Defenseman
10. Hockey in Sneakers
11. Starting a League
12. The Rules
This particular book describes the city recreational roller
hockey league scene of some 20 years ago. Unfortunately,
while the game may not really have changed that much, it
seems that the spirit and the desire to be playing a "hockey
game" vs. a "roller game" has, and the relatively basic
content of this book doesn't justify much effort in searching
for it, order the Joyner and NIHA books instead.
In-Line Skating Area Guides:
The Ultimate Skating Guide to the SF Bay Area
Tod Ray
? - 1995
Paperback, 225 pages w/maps & photos, $17.95
[ contact info below ]
[ tray1usg@SIRIUS.COM (Todd Ray) ]
This book contains info on 55 routes to in-line skate all over the
area in addition to listings of shops, rinks, teams, clubs,
activities, and "other skate ideas" in seven counties around the
Bay Area; Appendices include sections on publications related to
inline skating, organizations, stretching and strengthening for
skating, and downhill skating techniques (225 pages, 50 maps, 100
photos, $17.95). In addition to the detailed routes, information
on aggressive/extreme, hockey, speed, downhill, and recreational
skating is provided for each of seven counties around the bay area.
I can be reached at (415) 292-7528, tray1usg@sirius.com, or at
Ultimate Skate Guides, 2250 Chestnut St., SF CA 94123, also see
web page at "http://www.sirius.com/~tray1usg/usghp.html"
Skating unrinked: an insider's guide to skating trails
in the San Francisco Bay area
Richard Katz
Harper-Collins West; San Francisco - 1994
Trade Papberback, 173 pages w/maps, $10.00
ISBN 0062585444
< no review information >
Let's skate Minnesota: where to roll indoors and outdoors
Barbara J. Shotwell and the Squarest Wheels
Wow Pub, Minneapolis - 1992
Paperback, 133 pages, $9.95
ISBN 0963231154
< no review information >
Roller Skating Books:
Dancing on Skates
Richard Arnold
St. Martins, NY NY - 1985
Hardcover, 128 pages
ISBN 0-312-18209-0
1. History and Development
2. Modern Skate Dancing
3. Skates and Equipment
4. Basic Dance Skating Steps
5. Dance patterns, Lobes, Music and Holds
6. Simple Dances
7. Chasse Steps and Easy Dances
8. The Three Turn and Waltz Hold
9. The Foxtrot Hold
10. Mohawks and Choctaws
11. Dances using Mohawk Turns
12. Intermediate Dances
13. Advanced adn International Dances
14. Free Dancing
15. Clubs and Proficiency Tests
16. Fitness and Training
17. Appendixes: Tests, Champions, Dance Orginators
While containing some other introductory and reference material,
this book is basically a reference for the pattern/ballroom
couples dances. It includes both Ice and Roller dances, from
both the US and UK national and international dance programs,
sorted by characteristic features and difficulty. Unfortunately
the diagrams only show the shape of the pattern and not the
location of the steps, so the beginner will find the USAC/RS and
USFSA rulebooks more useful as day-to-day guides.
Roller Skating - Fundamentals and Techniques
Sharon Kay Stoll, PhD
Leisure Press, NY NY - 1983
Trade Paperback, 192 pages, $9.95
ISBN 0-88011-101-1
[ out of print ]
1. Roller Skating - Fun for All
2. Before You Go on the Floor
3. Skating Forward
4. Skating Backwards
5. Skating from Front to Back and Duck Slides
6. Crossovers and the First Jump
7. Spirals, Snow Plows, Hockey and Lunge Stops
8. Advanced Skills I
9. Advanced Skills II
10. Conditioning Program on Roller Skates
This book claims to be a guide for self-teaching of the basic
skating skills, however it really doesn't provide detailed
enough descriptions for the isolated beginner. However, what
it does do is to provide an excellent course outline for a
moderately experienced skater who might be called on to teach
beginners "how to skate", or serve as an useful outline to help
a beginning skater taking group lessons understand the required
skill progression.
Competitive Figure Skating - A Parents Guide
Robert Ogilvie
Harper & Row, 1985
Hardcover, 330 Pages
ISBN 0-06-015357-1
See Ice Skating section for a complete description...
While this book is specificially about competitive Ice Skating, the
roles of the sanctioning organizations, patterns of instruction and
competition, and the skating itsef are sufficiently parallel that
this book can still provide the parent or skater with a very useful
overview and perspective on the world of competitive skating.
Outdoor Skating
Frank Simcoe
Chartwell Books, Secaucus NJ - 1980
Hardcover, 90 page
ISBN 0-89009-331-8
[ out of print, but common in libraries ]
1. Equipment
2. Starting Out
3. Basic Maneuvers
4. The Real World
5. Logic, Common Sense and Other oft Forgotten Things
6. Advanced maneubers
7. Notes on Style
8. Skateboard parks
9. Skate Touring
10. Other Thoughts
This book is dedicated to (conventional) outdoor skating
ca. 1980. It is a little dated (everyone in Bell Bottoms),
but then the illustrations in "Wheel Excitement" are going
to seem pretty funny 10 years from now... Comparable in
content to some of the mid-range in-line skating books.
Anybody's Rollerskating Book
Tom Cuthbertson
Ten Speed Press, Berkeley CA - 1980
ISBN 0-89815-040-X
[ out of print ]
1. Getting Started on Rental Skates
2. The Basics: Stroking Forward and Backward
3. A History of Roller Skates
4. Getting your own Skates: A Buyers Guide
5. Adjustments and Repairs
6. What's New To Do on Skates
A companion to the Anybody's Bicycle/Skate*board* books,
this emphasizes the have fun, do it yourself aspects of
skating.
Almost a fourth of this book is a do it yourself guide to
skate adjustment and repair - everything from adjusting
bearings to mounting plates. This is probably the *only*
place you'll find this material, short of apprenticing
yourself in a skate shop.
Roller-Skating from Start to Finish
Jack Trap
Penguin Books, NY - 1980
Trade Paperback; 127 pages; $6.95
ISBN 0-14-005223-2
1. Roller Skating
2. Rolling Backwards
3. The Roller Skating Beat
4. Roller Skating and You
5. Getting Rolling
6. Space Travel
7. Wheeling and Dealing
8. Spectator Sports
9. Creative Skating Sports You Can Play
10. Roll!
Another general coverage book, with more emphasis on skating
and artistic coverage than some. A couple of pages of pictures
of the late 70's T-Birds Roller Derby team showing the portable,
banked track.
Jammin' - Bill Butler's Complete Guide to Roller Disco
Bill Butler and Elin Schoen
Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster, NY - 1979
Trade Paperback, 120 pages, $3.95
ISBN 0-671-82945-9
[out of print]
This is a somewhat different view of the "Roller Disco" scene
as told by one of the major proponents in the New York area. It
has some of the most lucid writing about skating that I've seen,
good photography and avoids wasting a lot of paper on beginner
or general interest baggage. However, for me, the description
of some of the steps seemed opaque - a video would really help -
but then Butler can still be found skating at the Roxy and perhaps
other NYC rinks.
Roller Disco Dancing
Kelley Kollmar & Melody Mason
Sterling Publishers, NY - 1979
Trade Paperback, 84 pages, $3.95
ISBN 0-8069-8858-4
[ out of print ]
This book provides an introduction to Roller Disco Dancing,
describing the environment, dress, equipment and basic moves.
While Roller Disco as a lifestyle is long dead, the book expands
on the brief mentions encountered in broader interest books and
provides a basis for understanding some of the moves executed by
surviving disco-style skaters and in the disco/aerobics style of
stationary skating current at some rinks.
The Complete Book of Roller Skating
Ann-Victoria Phillips
Workmann Publishing, NY NY - 1979
Trade Paperback
[ out of print, but common in libraries ]
1. Indoor Skating
2. Outdoor Skating
3. Skating Fitness
4. Basic Skating Lessons: Part 1
5. Roller Disco
6. Show Skating
7. Artistic Skating
8. Basic Skating Lessons: Part 2
9. Speed Skating
10. Roller Hockey
11. Roller Derby
12. Radical Skating
13. Lifestyles
14. Skating Equipment
This is is any encyclopedia style book with sections on various
aspects of skating - history, indoor, outdoor, disco, and roller
hockey. The core information is pretty interesting and contains
material not found elsewhere, but only a small portion of the
book is directed to "learning to skate".
The Complete Book of Roller Skating
The Editors of Consumer Guide
Pocket Books, NY - 1979
Trade Paperback, 125 pages, $4.95
ISBN 0-671-79092-7
1. Skating's Up and Downs
2. How to Roller Skate
3. Where to Skate
4. Roller Disco
5. Games and Competitions
6. Skating into Shape
7. Skater's Buyers Guide
Same title, same year as the above, but a different book.
This is a factual overview of roller skating and equipiment
by the editors of the Consumer Guide (not to be confused
with Consumer Reports). It's fairly thorough, but mostly
rehashes the same material as other Roller Disco era books.
The section on Games might be useful if you're involved in
a skating party for kids...
Roller Skating Guide
Hal Straus & Marilou Sturges
Anderson World, Mountain View CA - 1979
Trade Paperback, 198 pages, $6.95
ISBN 0-89037-203-9 (Anderson World)
0-02-499410-3 (McMillan)
[ out of print ]
I. Let's Get Things Rolling
1. Roller Boom
2. Rolling Back Through the Corridors of Time
II. Roller Basics
3. Those First Baby Rolls
4. Steering Your Wheels
5. Applying the Brakes
6. In Reverse: Rolling Backwards
7. Shifting Gears: Turn, Turn, Turn
III. Different Storkes for Different Folks
8. Floating Together: Dance Skating, Free Dance, Roller Disco
9. Figure it Out
10. Forging a Freestyle: Jumps, Spins and Fancy Footwork
11. The Racer's Edge: Speedskating
12. The World of Competition and Showmanship
IV. Strictly Outdoors
13. Wings On Your Heels
14. Roller Games for Children 5-50
V. For the Health of It
15. Rollercizing for Weight Control and Fitness
16. Skating Biomechanics, Excercises and Injury Prevention
VI. Skatology
17. Be a Good Skate Buyer
18. Tuning Up Your Skates - Maintenance
19. How to Rent Your Rollers
If there was one book on roller skating that should be in print
and for sale at your local rink shop, this is probably the one.
It contains good introductory material on all aspects of skating,
enough clear explanation to be helpful and effective photographic
illustration.
It's only painfully dated in the area of the outdoor and the roller
disco scenes.
Roller Skating: the Sport of a Lifetime
Carol Ann Waugh and Judith LaBelle Larsen
Macmillan, New York - 1979
Hardcover, 110 pages, $9.95
ISBN 0-02-624460-8
1. A Rediscovered Sport
2. Rolling Through the Years
3. Getting Started
4. The First Strokes
5. Buying Your First Pair of Skates
This book is kind of a leaner version of the Phillips book,
covering nearly the same subject material and style.
Roller Fever
Linda Konner
Scholastic Book Services, NY - 1979
Paperback; 120 pages
ISBN 0-590-30029-6
Skating Facts & Trivia
Rollin' On & On - The history of roller skating
Getting Rolling - Choosing the right skates for you
Learning your Lessons - Five basic roller skating moves
Maintenance
And It's Good for You Too!
Fall guys - The right way to fall
What Wears Well on Wheels
Roller-Disco - Boogying on wheels
Rockin' & Rollin' - Roller-Disco how-to's
Talking to Kenny Means - Roller ace
Natalie Dunn - Queen of the roller rinks
Big Wheels on Wheels - Celebrity skaters
Skate Songs
Skate Games
Roller-Arena
Suzi Skates
Oscar's Pizzeria
Parlez-Vous "Roller Skate"?
Wlaking Roller Skates - A wiggle in your walk
This is SBS's contribution to the Roller Skating literature -
reasonable coverage, but apparently aimed a middle school
age kids.
Keep on rollin': the Complete Guide to Rollerskating in America
Sharon Boorstin
Warner Books, New York - 1978
Trade Paperback, 175 pages
This is another general coverage book, less ambitious and less
successful than the one by Victoria Ann Phillips listed above.
Winning Roller Skating - Figure and Freestyle
Randy Dayney with Joel Cohen
Henry Regnery Company, Chicago - 1976
Trade Paperback, 184 Pages, $4.95 (also in Hardcover)
ISBN 0-8092-8153-8
[ out of print ]
1. Competitive Roller Skating - an Introduction
2. Equipment
3. Learning to Skate
4. Figures Skating - an Introduction
5. Takeoffs
6. Specific Figures
7. Turns
8. Freestyle
9. Practice
10. Psychology
This book, written by a championship skater turned coach, deals with
competitive figure and freestyle skating skills, and related issues.
While somewhat dated in illustrations and empheral details, the basic
content is still appropriate. The descriptions of the various turns
and moves are probably the clearest of any of the roller skating
books, if not quite up to the standard of the Petkevich or Fassi ice
skating books.
Unfortunatly while the coverage of figures is relatively detailed
and "how-to" oriented, the freestyle coverage is more on the "about"
side, and while it gives tips and advice, it devolves into more of
a list of do's and dont's without any clear "how-to" thread.
Overall the book is clearly written and comprehensive, and can serve
as a guide for either a parent or teen-aged competitive skater. The
"parents guide" Ice skating book by Ogilvie makes a good companion
piece for the parent of the younger skater, the combination provides
an effective perspective beyond the usual advice to "do what the
coach/instructor says".
Better Roller Skating
Richard Arnold
Sterling Publishing - New York, 1976
Trade Paperback, 94 Pages (also Hardcover)
ISBN 0-8069-4106-5
[ out of print ]
1. Let's Go Roller Skating!
2. The Great Adventure - First Steps
3. Elements of Figure Skating
4. Elements of Dance Skating
5. Figure and Dance Skating
6. The Basic Eights
7. Dance Skating (Simple Dances)
8. Dancing on Roller Skates (More Advanced Dances)
9. Free Skating
10. Now You Can Roller Skate...
This book provides a good introduction to artistic roller
skating. It starts with first steps, edges and elements,
then covers basic figures before moving on to the roller
dances with a brief overview of free-style. This outline
seem to closely parallel the pattern of beginner/group
lessons available in many rinks that don't have a hardcore
competitive "figure" program.
History of Roller Skating
James Turner
RSROA, Lincoln NE - 1975
Paperback, 100 pages, $4.00
[ currently out of print ]
1. Early Origins
2. The World's Greatest Skater
3. The Boom Period 1880-1910
4. The Modern Era 1937-Present
5. Evolution of American Style Dance
6. The Development of American Figure Skating
7. Pairs Skating and Fours Skating
8. Speed Skating
9. Roller Hockey
A. Who's Who
B. Bibliographies (extensive)
C. Historical Excerpts
This brief little booklet contains a history of roller skating from
the first attempts up to present with particular emphasis on the
American skating scene. The chapter on the Boom Period gives a
fair impression of the early days of skating and the moves that
were popular back then, while the chapter on the Modern Era briefly
details the history of the RSROA and the RSROA-USAC/RS split. The
bibliography is quite extenisve, including Roller Skating books,
magazines and newspaper articles, and also a listing of Ice Skating
books.
Supposedly, there will be a new edition of this book available
in 1996 and the museum also has another book "Evolution of the
Roller Skate: 1820 - Present". I'm not sure if this two versions
of the same story or if there are two new books.
Roller skating: Elementary Techniques for Figure, Dance,
Freestyle, and Speed Skating
Edward R. O'Neill
Ronald Press, New York - 1960
Hardcover, 106 pages
1. Growth of the Sport
2. Equipment and Basic Technique
3. Figure Skating
4. Dance Skating
5. Free-Style Skating
6. Speed Skating
Glossary of Skating Terms
This book provides a reasonable overview of the sport at
the elementary level, but just that - it generally doesn't
get into the level of detail that would make it a learning
text, nor does it describe much in the way of more advanced
moves.
The section on figures does describe about eleven of the
school figures on a step-by-step basis, with some "common
error" commentary, while the dance sections adds some advice
and cautionary notes to the minimal descriptions found in
the rule book. The section on freestyle is quite limited.
Of minor interest are the photographs - the man being Charles
Wahlig, current USAC/RS officer and head of the Delaware
Skating Centers, Inc.
Roller Skating Through the Years:
the Story of Roller Skates, Rinks, and Skaters
Morris Traub, editor
William-Frederick Press, New York - 1944
Hardcover, 101 pages
I'd really like to see this one, it supposedly includes a 6-page
roller skating bibliography.
The Art of Plain Skating
The Art of Skate Dancing
Skate Dance Diagrams
Skate Dance Shortcuts
Perry S. Rawson
Skating Review Magazine/Rawson Associates - 1941-46
Paperback, assorted lengths
If there is one person responsible for the development of modern
Roller Dance, it has to be Perry Rawson. After determining that
Dance in the US had degenerated, due to confused mixing of elements
from Figures and from Ice Dance, he set out to enlighten the skating
world in what eventually became American Style Roller Dance. He
visited Europe, sponsored tours by European skaters, published a
newsletter and the above mentioned four works which compile much
of the newsletter material.
The books themselves are quite interesting from a historical
perspective, but are somewhat tiresome reading, since a lot of
the verbiage is reaction to the assumed errors of the times and
Rawson's presentation tends to be a bit shrill and over-emphatic.
Roller Derby:
Five Strides on the Banked Track;
the Life and Times of the Roller Derby
Frank Deford
Sports Illustrated / Little Brown, Boston - 1971
Hardcover, 211 pages
[ jdfulton@aol.com ]
The guy who was editor of the National Sports Daily wrote a book
on the Roller Derby. Frank Defoe or something is his name; he's
now doing magazine work and commenting weekly on National Public
Radio.
[ dennis@fs2.assist.uci.edu (Dennis) ]
The columnist who wrote the book is Frank Deford. The name of the
book was/is "Five Strides On The Banked Track". Excellent book but
I don't know where you could get it now, maybe the library.
-- continued in part 2 of 2 --
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